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Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff Writer
Reigning winner Zach Edey, the dominant 7-foot-4 Purdue star, headlined the men’s Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 list announced Tuesday night.
The award is given annually to the best college basketball player in the country.
Edey was the runaway Wooden Award winner on the men’s side last season and entered this season as the heavy favorite to become the first repeat winner since Virginia’s Ralph Sampson won the 1982 and 1983 awards. He’s only cemented his status as the frontrunner since the season began, leading the No. 2-ranked Boilermakers by averaging 23.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, while shooting 62.7% from the field.
Entering the final month of the regular season, Edey is likely to face a deeper pool of legitimate contenders than a year ago. Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht has been the best transfer in the country, and he’s averaging 19.5 points this season — but 32.0 points over his last four games, with the Volunteers ranked inside the top five nationally. North Carolina‘s RJ Davis has been arguably the best guard in America this season, producing a true breakout season, averaging 21.2 points and 3.3 assists as the Tar Heels look like the ACC favorite and a Final Four threat.
UConn guard Tristen Newton (15.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.8 APG) has been the best player on the nation’s best team, while Kentucky‘s Antonio Reeves is putting up 19.5 points on 50.2% shooting (43.1 3PT%) for the top-10 Wildcats. The Kansas duo of Hunter Dickinson (18.9 PPG, 11.3 RPG) and Kevin McCullar Jr. (19.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG) are also enjoying All-America-caliber campaigns and could figure into the conversation if the Jayhawks make a late-season surge.
There are two players on the Late Season Top 20 who weren’t on the Midseason Top 25: Auburn‘s Johni Broome and Dayton‘s DaRon Holmes II.
The men’s Wooden Award has been given out every year since 1977, starting with UCLA star Marques Johnson.
The complete Wooden Award Late Season Top 20:
Armando Bacot, North Carolina
Johni Broome, Auburn
Johnell Davis, Florida Atlantic
RJ Davis, North Carolina
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Zach Edey, Purdue
DaRon Holmes II, Dayton
Dalton Knecht, Tennessee
Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas
Tristen Newton, UConn
Antonio Reeves, Kentucky